Messi scores twice, helping Inter Miami reach the Concacaf Champions Cup semi-finals

After losing 0-1 in the first leg away, Inter Miami was determined to turn the situation around with the enthusiastic cheers of home fans.

Just like the first leg, Messi was arranged by coach Mascherano to start. However, the warning signs of a defeat for Inter Miami soon appeared when Los Angeles unexpectedly scored a goal in the 9th minute.

Taking advantage of the looseness in Inter Miami's defense, defender Long easily finished close to the goal to open the score. However, the stars of Inter Miami did not let the match pass quietly.

Messi almost scored from a beautiful free-kick, but the goal was disallowed because the referee judged that he had taken the shot before the whistle blew.

However, just a few minutes later, Messi responded with a "vintage" goal in the penalty area, rekindling hope for Inter Miami as they now needed 2 more goals to turn the tables.

Confidence was boosted in the 60th minute when Allen scored Inter Miami's second goal and reduced the aggregate deficit to just one goal. From there, the dramatic climax of the match began. Suarez thought he had completed the comeback after heading the ball into the visitors' net from close range, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

In the final minutes, the referee once again made a crucial decision, this time awarding a penalty to Inter Miami after a handball in the box. Messi stepped up to the spot, recreating a "World Cup" confrontation with Hugo Lloris, and coolly finished to bring home the winning goal.

Despite Los Angeles' strong comeback in stoppage time, Inter Miami still held on to win to complete a spectacular comeback and advance to the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup semi-finals.